Method of mixing cotton fiber and bituminous materials



METHOD OF MIXING pow-110M FIBER AND BITUMINOUS MATERIALS Filed April :50,- 1928 .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 23, 1930. c. P. NELLIS ET AL METHOD OF MIXING COTTON FIBER AND BITUMINOUS MATERIALS Filed April '30, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 23, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE CARL I. NELLIS AND ARTHUR H. FLOWER, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSI GNOR S TO THE INLAND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, DELAWARE or Darren, 01110; A CORPORATION or METHOD OF MIXING COTTON FIBER'AND BITUMINOUS MATERIALS,

Application filedApril 30,

This invention relates to a process for compounding molten bituminous materials with fibrous material to form a hot plastlc compound suitable for molding into battery boxes or like articles.

' An object of this invention is to provide a simple and etficient process of mixing fibrous materials with molten bitumens especially for mixing vegetable fibers with molten bitumens by first coating and protecting the fibers with a bitumen of lower melting point and then adding a bitumen of higher melting pointand kneading the mixture together to form a hot plastic compound suitable for molding.

Another object is to provide a simple and efiicient process for distributing the fibers in the preliminary mixture of the most fluid molten bitumen. I V v Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic View, partly in side elevation and partly in section, illustrating the apparatus for carrying out the process of thisinvention. The motor drive mechanism for the retorton the left is shown in elevation looking in direction of arrows 1 in Fig. 2, for clearer illustration.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.-

In the drawings, 10 designates a steam heated retort for melting the lower melting point bitumen which is. to be first mixed with the fibrous material. Retort 10 has a steam jacket 11 for heating the same, and a stirring or mixing paddle 12' therein which is power driven by the-electric motor 13 through the. gear reduction transmission 14 and the worm gear drive 15 for slowly driving the vertical shaft 16 of the agitating paddle 12. The bitumen is thus melted and maintained in a molten condition in the retort 10. 20 is a measuring tank connected to the 1928. Serial No. 274,016.

bottom of retort 10 by a suitable cock and is therefore easily filled to a. measured level by the operator when desired. Measuring tank 20 has an outlet valve 21 which permits the fluid bitumen therein to empty in a wide shallow stream into the relatively wide flat chute 22, down which it flows in a sheeted' form and empties into the kneading machine 25; The inclined chute 22 is also provided to use. v

The details of the picking machine form no part of the present invention and hence will not be described in detail. The fibers front the picking machine 26 are blown through the distributing funnel 27 by an air blast directly uponthe surface of the fluid bitumen in chute 22, the picking machine being adjusted'to deliver the desired quantity of fiber upon the chute in the time period required for the measured quantity of molten bitumen in tank 20 to flow past the valve 21 down the chute into mixer 25. The fibers upon striking the hot fluid bitumen evenly over the surface thereof become imbedded and coated therewith by the time the mass falls into the mixer 25.

While bitumen is being melted in retort 10,

.another batch of bittunen preferably of .higher melting point, is-being melted in a similar retort 10 whose general arrangement for heating and mixing is the same as tha described for retort 10. Retort 10 has a similar measuring tank 20 controlled by a valve 21, and emptying into a steam-heated relatively wide fiat chute 22 which also delivers its molten bitumen into' mixer 25, all as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. A container 30 for finely dividedfiller material 31 is arparticular fibrous material which it is desired ranged above chute 22 and is provided with a power driven rotary sifter 32 which sifts and preferably evenly distributes the filler material 31 upon the molten bitumen passing down chute 22'. The sifter 32 may be adjusted so as to deliver the desired quantity of filler 31 in the time period required for the measured quantity of bitumen in tank to pass through the valve 21 down chute 22. Thus the desired proportions of filler and bitumen from tank 20 is obtained in the final compound. The finely divided filler material 31 may be diatomaceous earth, fine clay, powdered slate, celite, silica, or any other of various suitable inert fillers.

A feature of this pr cess is the separate melting of the lower melting point bitumen in retort 10 and the higher melting point bitumen in retort 10 and the preliminary intermixture of the fibrous material into the more fluid lower melting point bitumen while in sheeted form, whereby the fibers more easily enter into the bitumen and become more evenly distributed throughout the mass during the subsequent kneading than would be the case if the entire mass of bitumens of both high and low melting point, fibrous material, and filler material were added together at one time. Another feature of the invention is the distribution of the fibrous material 24, and also the filler material 31, over the surface of molten bitumen while the same is passing down a chute in sheeted form, whereby the amount of subsequent kneading required to produce a substantially homogeneous plastic mixture is materially reduced. It will be obvious that the final compound in mixer 25 which contains the filler 31 will be very much more stifi' than is the relatively fiuid bitumen passing down chute 22 and hence this preliminary intermixture of fiber is relatively easily accomplished. Also in case cotton or other vegetable fiber is used, the fiber will be first coated with a lower melting point bitumen which will protect it from the higher temperature of the higher melting point bitumen from retort 10 in the final compound even though the mass is kneaded together in mixer 25. As stated above, the amount of final kneading is materially reduced by the process and a more homogeneous compound is produced thereby. This hot plastic compound from mixer 25 is then used for molding articles, such as battery boxes, according to the means and meth- 'od described and claimed in copending application Serial No. 210,183, filed l ugust 2nd, 1927, or by any other suitable means and methods which are now known in the art of molding bituminous compounds.

For illustrative purposes an example will be given of the materials used in carrying out the process of this invention. In retort 10 is melted a mixture of bituminous materials (such as asphalt, tars, pitches or waxes) having a melting point of approximately 24:0 F. as determined by the Cube method of determining melting points. In retort 10 is melted a. mixture of higher melting point bituminous materials (such as asphaltites, Utah gilsonite, or graliamite, etc.) having a melting point of approximately 300 F. Approximately equal quantities (say about 200 lbs.) of these two bituminous mixtures are measured oil into measuring tanks 20 and 20. About lbs. of picked cotton fiber is added to the molten bitumen from tank 20 as it passes down the chute About lbs. of fine diatomaceous earth is sifted onto the molten bitumen from tank 20 as it passes down chute 22. The entire mass is then kneaded together in the kneading machine 25 to form about a (500 lb. batch of hot stiil plastic material.

lVhile the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A process of forming a moldable plastic compound of bituminous material, fibrous material, and a finely divided filler material comprising: melting a lower melting point bituminous material, separately melting a higher meltin point bituminous material, passing said first molten material in a relatively fiat stream into a container and simultaneously distributing fibrous material upon said flat stream, passing said second molten material in a relatively flat stream into said container and simultaneously adding finely divided filler into said stream, and then kneading the combined materials to form a substantially homogeneous mixture.

2. A process of forming a moldable plastic compound of bituminous material, fibrous material, and a finely divided filler material comprising: passing a molten bituminous material of lower melting point in a relatively wide flat stream into a container and simultaneously distributing fibrous material upon the flat stream, separately passing molten bituminous material of higher melting point together with a filler material into said container, and then kneading the combined materials to form a substantially homogeneous mixture.

3. A process of forming a moldable plastic compound of bituminous material, fibrous material, and a finely divided filler material comprising passing a molten bituminous material in a relatively flat stream into a container and simultaneously distributing fibrous material upon said fiat stream, separately passinginolten bituminous material together with a finely divided filler into said container, and then kneading the combined materials together.

i. A process of adding fibrous material to signatures.

a bituminous compound comprising passing a molten bituminous material in a relatively flat stream into a container and simultaneously distributing fibrous material upon said flat stream by means of an air blast, and then kneading said material to further distribute the fibers therein.

5. A process of forming a moldable plastic compound of bituminous material, fibrous material, and a finely divided filler material comprising: passing a molten bituminous material at a temperature around 2509 F. in a relatively flat stream into a container and simultaneously distributing vegetable fiber upon the surface of said stream whereby the fiber becomes coated with said molten material at a temperature which is non-destructive thereto, passing a second molten bituminous material at a materially higher temperature together with a finely divided filler into said container, and then kneading the combined materials together to form a substantially homogeneous compound.

6. A process of compounding hot bitumens and a vegetable fibrous material comprising: passing a molten bitumen at a temperature non-destructive to the fiber in a relatively fiat stream into a container and simultaneously distributing vegetable fiber over the surface of said stream whereby the fiber is given a preliminary coating of bitumen, adding molten bitumen at a materially higher temperature to said container, and then kneading the combined materials to form a substantially homogeneous mixture.

In testimony whereof we hereto afiix our CARL P. NELLIS. ARTHUR H. FLOWER. 

